


leave a message after the tone

by thecityofthefireflies



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Pretty much just angst, mentions of kaldur'ahm/raquel, not raquel bashing tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 10:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8621512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecityofthefireflies/pseuds/thecityofthefireflies
Summary: Inspiration - “i know we were never officially together or anything but seeing that picture you posted on [insert social media] with him/her literally felt like you carved my heart out of my chest and stomped on it and i’m not really sure why i’m leaving this voicemail but my pillow still smells like you and i miss your stupid face” AU  A few weeks after Auld Aquaintance, Roy finally checks his social media feed and makes a phone call.





	

Roy hadn’t had any access to wifi or any direct contact with anyone associated with the Justice League in over a month.  He had deactivated his league communicator so that it would stop buzzing incessantly.  He didn’t deserve the attention of the team or the league.  He wasn’t a real person.  The only “Roy” that deserved any iota of focus was the original speedy out there presumably suffering at the hands of Cadmus.  

This meant that when he decided to venture to a safehouse in a civilized area and log onto the private League Social Media he was immediately assaulted with 99+ notifications dating back to 12:02 Jan 1st.  

Roy felt a twinge of guilt at even looking at the site.  These weren’t really his friends, but he had no other source of entertainment.  He also didn’t want to tread on any emotional toes by bringing up a break-up or new relationship that he had missed while away.  

He casually scrolled through pages of Wally’s food pics, Artemis’s selfies of Wally and her, Robin’s meme-league combinations, Superboy’s aesthetic and seemingly random pictures, and M’gann’s shared cooking tip videos.  Kaldur had never been really into posting on his page, Roy knew he monitored the others and liked their content, but it had been Roy who took his phone to post Kaldur’s first time on a ferris wheel, his first cotton candy, and other firsts.  No Kaldur in his feed was a testament to normalcy.

Roy was pretty much on autopilot when he neared the end of his feed.  Then he felt his throat close up. Did Raquel always put that many heart emojis in her captions? Or did that mean something significant?  He didn’t know her well enough.  He was aware that she kissed Kaldur sorta on New Year’s, but that had been a more friendly gesture. But this image was dated days after the first.  

It wasn’t even like he had any right to be upset.  Regardless of the fact he wasn’t a real person, he and Kaldur had never officially been an “item”.  But Roy had mentally considered them a couple.  Maybe Kaldur had never felt the same.  Maybe he was that affectionate in all his friendships, Roy didn’t have much basis for comparison, and Atlantean customs were so different.  

Because Roy had pretty much confirmed himself as an emotional masochist he checked the ‘likes’ and sure enough Aqualad was among those who had liked.  The reality of Kaldur moving on hit Roy hard.  Soured more by the lack of closure Roy felt their relationship had, a seemingly one-sided feeling.  

He tried to push the picture from his mind and managed to function until he lay on his bed crushed his face into the pillow.  He caught a whiff of salt and felt the prick of tears in his eyes.  Rationally he knew the safehouse was nearly coastal and the pillow had been collecting the aroma of the salt air for months.  But emotionally it was too much.  He had been practically alone for weeks, granted it was a self imposed exile, but he was lonely nonetheless.  And it seemed like the rest of the world had moved on while he was wallowing in the slew of emotions acquired at the turn of the year.  

Before his common sense and shame could stop him, he had seized his cell phone and let his fingers automatically dial a number.  There were no drawn out rings to give him time to change his mind.  The phone went straight to voicemail.  

Roy stuffed a knuckle into his mouth to hold back a sob at the sound of Kaldur’s voice-even if it was just the recorded message.  He swallowed the lump in his throat and hoarsely whispered to the phone.  

“Hey Kal.  You’re the last person I should be calling but… I saw that post-you and Raquel- I’m… glad… you’re moving on.  I’m not.  But that’s not your problem. It’s mine.  I don’t know why I’m doing this.  I should have shut up 30 seconds ago.  But I’m not known for good decisions.  You are. Moving on? That’s a good decision.  I was just thinking of you because I smelled the ocean.  I can’t be near 70% of the planet without thinking of you.  I need to move inland.  My pillow even smells like salt.  Ignore me.  Keep going.  Raquel is nice.  Don’t look for me. Damn it you idiot, I lo-” 

Roy had never been more bitterly grateful for the time limit cut off on phone messages


End file.
